PPM Expenses: What You Can Claim on a DITY Move (2026)

Here’s how the most common PPM costs are treated:

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What expenses can you claim on a PPM?

You can claim the costs you pay to physically move your household goods, as long as you keep the receipts. A June 2024 Marine Corps PPM handout defines an operating expense as any expense reasonably associated with the move.

The Personal Property Activity (PPA), which runs DoD household goods moves, and the Navy’s PPM audit checklist list these as authorized:

The Navy adds that items you can reuse aren’t normally authorized. Boxes and tape count because they’re used up on the move. A dolly you buy and keep doesn’t.

Not sure what a truck, container, or crew will cost for your route? Compare PPM costs for your move.

What PPM expenses don’t count?

Costs that aren’t part of physically moving your goods don’t count as operating expenses. The Navy’s audit checklist lists these as unauthorized:

Some of these aren’t lost money. Your travel days are paid separately through PCS mileage and per diem, and storage is reimbursed on its own, up to a limit. See storage costs below.

Branch lists don’t always match. A Marine Corps allowable expenses list, marked as a draft, includes Safe Move insurance and totes as authorized, while Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) and the Navy both exclude them. Ask your finance office before you count on either one.

Renting equipment instead of buying it keeps more of your costs on the authorized list. Price truck and container rentals for your route.

Do PPM expenses increase your payment?

No. Your PPM payment is 100% of the Government Constructed Cost (GCC), what the government would have spent to move the same weight the same distance, no matter what you spend. The Marine Corps handout says operating expenses aren’t reimbursed dollar for dollar. Instead, they offset the taxes on your payment.

The PPA explains it with an example. If your GCC is $8,000 and you spend $5,000 on the move, your $3,000 profit is taxable income, and you’ll get a W-2 for it. If your costs run higher than the GCC, you take a loss.

Here’s what that looks like with withholding. DFAS taxes PPM incentive pay at 22% and mails you a separate W-2 for it, which won’t show up in myPay. DFAS also says operating expenses lower your taxable income:

Without $5,000 in documented expenses, all $8,000 would be taxable. That’s why the receipts matter even though they don’t raise your payment.

Expenses that already lowered your PPM income can’t be deducted again on your tax return. For Form 3903 and the rest of the tax side, see our guide to the military moving expense deduction.

PPM expenses don’t add to your payment. They lower the part of it that’s taxed.

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Your transportation office gives you your estimated GCC at counseling. moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator weighs your distance, home size, move date, and service level, so you can estimate your expenses against that number before you spend anything.

Lower costs mean a bigger profit to keep. See what your move could cost before you book.

How do you claim PPM expenses?

You list your expenses on an expense worksheet that you file with your PPM claim, within 45 days of finishing your move. The form name varies by branch. DFAS calls it the Operating Expense Worksheet, the Navy uses a PPM Checklist and Certification of Expenses, and the Marine Corps handout calls it a Statement of Expenses.

1. Get approval first. Have your PPM approved by your transportation office before you rent, buy, or book anything.
2. Save receipts as you go. Keep every receipt from the day you get orders, in one folder, paper or digital.
3. Fill out the expense worksheet. List each authorized expense with its amount, matching your receipts.
4. Assemble your claim. The Navy and DFAS require your DD Form 2278 move application, your DD Form 1351-2 travel voucher, certified PPM weight tickets, your orders, and your receipts.
5. Submit within 45 days. The PPA says to expect final payment within 45 days of a complete claim.

Paying up front is the hard part for many members. You can request an advance of up to 60% of your estimated incentive through your transportation office, and it’s subtracted from your final payment.

Want an estimate to plan your advance around? Estimate your PPM costs by home size and distance.

What receipts do you need for a PPM?

You need itemized, legible receipts for every expense you claim. The Navy requires original or legible copies of receipts for fuel, tolls, and packing materials, and rental contracts that show an itemized, paid-in-full list of charges.

Get a receipt for every payment to a mover, too, not just the final bill. Julie told moveBuddha’s Better Moves Project that on her 690-mile move from Knoxville, Tennessee, to Madison, Wisconsin, in October 2024, her mover forgot to credit her deposit on the pickup form. She had to sign with the wrong balance, and when she called to fix it, the mover asked her for the receipt rather than checking its own records.

Jana, another Better Moves participant, split her payments three ways on her 622-mile move from Hamden, Connecticut, to New Albany, Ohio, in January 2024. She paid her mover a deposit of about $780, then $1,000 in cash on moving day, with the last $1,120 due at delivery. She got a receipt for each of the first two payments. Her total came to $2,900, about $100 over her $2,800 estimate, because the crew used extra packing on a few items that didn’t meet its packing standards. On a PPM, that would be three payments to document, plus an added itemized charge on the final invoice.

Paying a mover for part of your PPM? Compare mover prices before you put down a deposit.

Can you claim hired movers & labor on a PPM?

Yes. Hired movers, packers, and loading or unloading help all count as operating expenses. The PPA allows hiring professional movers or packers for a PPM, and the Marine Corps handout lists labor for packing, unpacking, loading, and unloading as allowable.

Hiring movers for your PPM? Start with movers that have a proven track record:

Ask any mover for an itemized invoice marked paid in full, and for certified empty and full weight tickets before pickup. Our guide to how to hire movers for a PPM covers how to vet a mover, since the government can’t settle disputes with a company you hire.

What does a real PPM’s expense list look like?

Hassan moved about 4,500 pounds 2,608 miles from South Park, Pennsylvania, to Bremerton, Washington, on Navy PCS orders in April 2022, he told moveBuddha’s Better Moves Project. He handled the move himself with a PODS container instead of a government-arranged move. Here’s how his costs line up with the Navy’s expense list:

• PODS container, $4,500: His bill covered the container, transport, weight tickets, and basic protection. The container and weight tickets are authorized expenses. Damage coverage isn’t on every branch’s authorized list, so ask for an invoice that shows it on its own line.
• Unloading crew, $590: His container arrived 40 days after pickup, so he hired a two-person crew to unload faster. Hired labor counts as an operating expense.
• Loading help from friends: Friends helped him load over four days. Unpaid help isn’t an expense, so there’s nothing to claim.

His costs came to $5,090. The document he said was hardest to produce was the weight ticket, so get the ticket process in writing when you book. Read Hassan’s full story.

Want a mover that handles the weight tickets for you? Safeway, a moveBuddha Certified mover, provides certified weight tickets on PPM moves:

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Can you claim storage on a PPM?

Storage isn’t an operating expense, but it’s reimbursed separately. You’re authorized up to 90 days of temporary storage, capped at the GCC, according to the Personal Property Activity’s PPM fact sheet.

The Navy’s audit checklist lists what to submit:

• Storage lease: The agreement with the storage facility.
• Paid receipts: Paid-in-full receipts or a tenant ledger for the storage period. Prepaid months aren’t reimbursed.
• Proof of removal: Evidence that your goods left storage.
• Extra time: A DD Form 1857 for storage past the first 90 days.

A moving container can double as storage. PODS can keep your container at your home or a storage center, and gets your PPM weight tickets on request:

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How do expenses work on actual-cost PPMs?

Most PPMs pay the incentive, but two types pay back only your actual costs, so every receipt sets your payment:

Moving part of your goods yourself and letting the government ship the rest? See when a partial PPM move makes sense.

Weighing a truck against a container or a crew? Get free estimates from vetted movers.

More about military moves

FAQ

What expenses can you claim on a PPM?

You can claim the operating costs of moving your belongings, including truck or trailer rentals, moving containers, hired labor, packing materials, fuel, tolls, and weight ticket fees. You need a receipt for each one.

Do PPM expenses get reimbursed?

No, PPM expenses aren’t reimbursed dollar for dollar. Your payment is 100% of the Government Constructed Cost, and your expenses are subtracted from it to figure your taxable profit.

Are meals and lodging PPM expenses?

No, meals and lodging aren’t PPM operating expenses. Your travel days are paid separately through PCS mileage and per diem.

Can you claim hired movers on a PPM?

Yes, hired movers and labor count as PPM operating expenses. Get an itemized, paid-in-full invoice and certified weight tickets from the mover.

Is storage a PPM expense?

No, storage isn’t an operating expense, but it’s reimbursed separately. You’re authorized up to 90 days of temporary storage, capped at the Government Constructed Cost.

What happens if your PPM expenses are more than your payment?

If your expenses are more than your PPM payment, you take a loss. You’re still paid 100% of the Government Constructed Cost, not your actual costs.

Can you deduct PPM expenses on your taxes?

No, not if they already lowered your PPM income. Expenses that reduced your taxable PPM profit can’t be deducted again on your tax return.

Ready to plan your PPM? Compare truck, container, and mover costs for your route before you book:

Ryan Carrigan

Ryan Carrigan is the co-founder of moveBuddha and a leading voice in the moving industry, helping hundreds of thousands of Americans make smarter, safer relocation decisions each year. With more than a decade of experience analyzing moving companies, pricing trends, and industry regulations, Ryan brings hands-on industry knowledge and data-driven insight to every guide and review. His research has been featured in Forbes, Consumer Reports, The New York Times, and NBC News.